Another major hotel construction is on the way. The
Meritus Chiang Mai Pavilion and Spa Resort is under construction and
expected to be opened in 2006. This resort project, costing 700 million
baht, is being managed by the Singapore Meritus International Hotels Pte.,
Ltd. It is expected to have its official opening in early 2006.

Meritus Chiang Mai has been established to capitalize on
the bright future for Chiang Mai City that is being developed as the City of
Life and Prosperity, following the Thai government’s policy launched by
the Thaksin administration. (PM Thaksin Shinawatra was born in Chiang Mai.)

An
artist’s rendering of the new Meritus Chiang Mai

Meritus Chiang Mai is a resort project to be rated as a
four-five star accommodation, right up to world-class standards. The
architecture and interior d้cor is designed to reflect that unique
Lanna heritage and culture, resulting in a boutique distinctive themed
resort.

This project uses a new creative concept by bringing in
the images of the Ping River from the past, when it was the major river
transportation and communication route used in foreigner trading, and where
it was the center of community life for all the northern peoples including
minority groups such as Thai Lue and Thai Kern.

This concept can be seen in the design and interior
decor. This resort will use teakwood, floated down the Ping River as in the
past. The teak logs are used on site to be fashioned into the materials used
for the interior decoration, and the even the fabrication will be done in
the original way, with traditional wooden pegs, rather than nails and
screws.

This method of construction will be passed on to the
young generation of artisans, to show them just why teakwood is such a
legendary material. The visitors too will be able to see and feel the
ancient traditions and culture of Chiang Mai City. These will be tangible
selling points of the resort.

Meritus Chiang Mai is located in the heart of Chiang Mai
City close to the Ping River, comprising 77 rooms (58 deluxe, 18 suites, and
one penthouse), with spa, fitness center, art museum, gallery, restaurant,
and conference room.

Access to the rooms can be by waterway, cruising along
the Ping River from the resort’s boat landing, so that guests can get in
touch with the one-of-a-kind ambience of river transportation.

Meritus Chiang Mai is run by the Riverside Pavilion and Spa Resort Co.,
Ltd, owned by managing director and mayor of Chiang Mai City, Boonlert
Buranupakorn.

Northern provinces well represented at BIG and BIH

Innovative marketing the key

Staff Reporters

The combined Bangkok International Gift Fair and Bangkok
International Houseware Fair (BIG and BIH) held at the Impact Exhibition
Center saw a good representation of private enterprise from the North
displaying their wares.

In a move that heralds future competition to the Thai
enterprises, there was a significant number of Laos, Cambodian and Chinese
entrepreneurs vying for the attention and trade dollars from the overseas
buyers who could be seen to be very interested native products and the uses
that these could be put to.

For example, the Saa paper representatives were most
innovative, with the sales girls from Siamphomprathan Company dressed in
fetching Saa paper outfits that would be fine till it rained! Their factory
is in Sankhampaeng, Chiang Mai.

Another Chiang Mai group that is a regular attendee at
these fairs was the Siam Royal Orchid Company, with Marketing Manager
Victoria Nimmanahaeminda and her enthusiastic staff, showing their range of
unique orchid jewelry and some new homeware items such as napkin rings
embellished with their treated real orchid flowers. Victoria said that these
fairs often do not generate so much business at the fair, but three months
later she will suddenly get an order from overseas that was generated by it.

Other enterprises that took the interest of the potential
buyers included Ngern-Yard from Bumrungrat Road in Chiang Mai city and Craft
World Chiang Mai with their range of shell jewelry.

The Laos silk weavers were out in force, with many of
their exquisite designs showing a certain finesse that the Thai silk weavers
are losing, and they should be aware of the inroads being made into this
specialized market by the weavers from the Greater Mekong Sub-region.

Another country that is starting to make its mark in the
world marketplace is Cambodia. For many years the ‘poor relative’,
Cambodia has realized that it must promote itself, and the Artisans’
Association of Cambodia, a working group of NGO’s is assisting the
artisans with disabilities to market their work in the SE Asian milieu.